"Designed to make mincemeat of cars like the Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet, everything that's good about the Z06 Coupe can be found on the droptop," Brandon Turkus, of Autoblog.com, wrote. "Supercharged, 6.2-liter V8? Check. Seven-speed manual? Check. Same obsession with weight? Check."

The convertibles usually weigh more than coupes because of mechanics, but GM engineers were able to keep the Z06 light with cutting-edge technology.

"Until recently it was not possible to create a lightweight, open-roof structure strong enough to cope with the braking, cornering, and acceleration of Corvette's top performance models," Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter said in a statement. "The frame for the Z06 convertible leverages advancements in computer-aided engineering, metallurgy, and manufacturing techniques – many of which were not available just five years ago."

General Motors is touting the Corvette Z06 as the most powerful convertible ever created by Chevrolet. The vehicle is the first Z06 convertible built from the factory since 1963, when the car's option package was unveiled for endurance racing.

"The Z06 Convertible is a world-class supercar in every sense," Mark Reuss, executive vice president of global product development for General Motors, said in a statement. "Only a handful of convertibles in the world bring more than 600 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. Even fewer can match the advanced technologies, aerodynamic design, and visceral driving experience of the Z06 Convertible."

GM has not announced a price for the vehicle, but it is scheduled to hit the market in early 2015, months after the Corvette Z06 hardtop.